MQTT Dash Mobile UI

The MQTT Dash application is useful for testing and debugging the GreenSense projects because it displays the time since the last message was received. This helps to show that the system devices are working.

Prepare Networked Devices

Before you can use the MQTT Dash application you will need to follow the networking guide to set up networked GreenSense devices.

Install MQTT Dash

Open Play Store on an android device and search for "mqtt dash":

Select the "MQTT Dash (IoT, Smart Home)" option and tap INSTALL:

Tap ACCEPT to confirm installation:

Tap OPEN to open MQTT Dash:

The MQTT Dash application will open and should look similar to this:

Tap the (+) on the top right hand corner and you should see this:

Enter a name and the address of the MQTT broker:

• Name: Garden (any user friendly name will do)
• Address: garden (the name or IP address of the garden computer)

Scroll down to this section:

Enter the username and password:

• User name: The username specified when running the "set-mqtt-credentials.sh" script.
• User password: The password specified when running the "set-mqtt-credentials.sh" script.
• Client ID: This can be left as the default value.

Tap the save button at the top right hand corner and you should see something like this:

Tap the (+) at the top right hand corner of the screen and you should see something like this:

Tap the "Range/progress" option and you should see something like this:

Enter the device details:

• Name: Monitor1 or Irrigator1 (this can be any user friendly name and doesn't need to match the device name provided earlier)
• Topic (sub):
  • /[DeviceName]/C
  • /monitor1/C
  • /irrigator1/C
• Enable publishing: Unchecked
• Postfix: %

Tap the save button at the top right corner of the screen and you should see something like this (depending on which device you configured):

Submerge the soil moisture sensor into water, damp soil, or something similar:

Within a few seconds the value displayed on the MQTT Dash application should increase to show that it senses moisture.

If you see the values changing as you submerge and remove the soil moisture sensor from water then it appears your system is working properly.

Notes:

• Slight inaccuracies and fluctuations are to be expected and can be ignored, as long as they're minor.

The value may not quite reach 0 (when dry) or 100 (when wet) as expected, but this can be fixed by calibrating the device.